A QuinnipiacUniversity poll found New York City voters approve 71-26 percent of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, but gave the mayor an overall 49-36 percent job approval rating:http://goo.gl/PDhd41* De Blasio said he hasn’t smoked pot since college and couldn’t given the demands of his 24/7 job, the Daily News reports:

* Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state’s
soon-to-be-enacted medical marijuana law will help alleviate “chain of
custody” concerns because each of the handful of private companies
involved will both grow and dispense the product, meaning they can be
held accountable for the entire process, Gannett Albany reports: http://goo.gl/Yr9Xmd

* Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a radio
interview that his concerns over a bill that would allow for medical
marijuana stem from the fear that if done wrong, such a system could
create “havoc” and a “public health disaster,” State of Politics
reports: http://goo.gl/uVLQaF
* State Sen. Diane Savino on the
same radio show called Cuomo’s concerns over medical marijuana
inconsistent and claimed that proposed bill language from his office
hasn’t been made available, State of Politics notes: http://goo.gl/0dmSwE

* Although de Blasio said he wanted to
decrease marijuana arrests during his campaign, state figures show that
marijuana arrests are not actually decreasing, Capital New York reports:
http://goo.gl/VQTjRjNYT Supports Medical Marijuana

* State Sen. George Maziarz has become
the third member of the Senate GOP to sign on as a co-sponsor of the
Compassionate Care Act, which would legalize medical marijuana in New
York, State of politics reports: http://goo.gl/hjMVWK

* The Times Union
writes that the state Senate should pay attention to a move by the House
of Representatives to block the federal government from interfering
with states that allow medical marijuana because maybe that will prompt
state Senate Republicans to rethink their resistance: http://goo.gl/56rhOQ

* Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced an
agreement with GW Pharmaceuticals to develop clinical trials using an
ingredient derived from marijuana aimed at children with epilepsy, but
advocates say the plan doesn’t go far enough, State of Politics reports:
http://goo.gl/YfWRzw

With less than a month left in the legislative session, and Senate Republicans balking, enacting a bill may be difficult.

* As expected, the state Assembly
backed a bill legalizing medical marijuana by a vote of 91 to 34, but
the state Senate has yet to indicate if it will bring it up for a vote,
the Associated Press reports: http://goo.gl/gBn9ju

* The medical marijuana bill sponsored
by state Sen. Diane Savino cleared the Senate Health Committee for the
first time, but must now clear the Finance Committee before a full
Senate vote, the Daily News reports: http://goo.gl/0eP6CX

Sen. Diane Savino discussed changes made to her medical marijuana bill in an effort to make it more palatable to fence-sitters and opponents.

* Erie County GOP Chairman Nick
Langworthy said he has been talking to Republican state Senators about
passing medical marijuana, arguing that the party’s stigma as a “Party
of No” would be helped by approving the measure, the Times Union
reports: http://goo.gl/rGufbX

* Medical marijuana gained its first
GOP sponsor in the state Senate, Joseph Robach, who added his name
alongside 17 Democratic senators who have co-sponsored the Compassionate
Care Act, the Daily News reports: http://goo.gl/wzSkjU

Senate GOP leader Dean Skelos said “there’s a good possibility” the Senate will vote on some sort of legislation dealing with medical marijuana this session.

The fate of the pending medical marijuana bill may hinge on
whether or not Republican senators will vote for a law that allows
marijuana to be smoked, rather than ingested in oil or other forms.

Cuomo Medical Maruujana Executive OrderCuomo
set to propose legal medical marijuana use, questions remain about what
exactly his plan entails, including which patients will qualify and
which hospitals will be dispensaries

A limited plan by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to loosen
restrictions on its use should be expanded and strengthened by the State
Legislature.* A nationwide food workers union has a
medical cannabis and hemp arm and is tracking the medical marijuana
developments in New York, with one lobbyist saying the goal is to create
an industry with middle-class jobs, the Times Union writes: * The Times writes that the state legislature should take Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal for medical
marijuana and expand and strengthen it through legislation:* * Advocates: Cuomo pot plan not enough * Let the smoke clear(NYDN) Marijuana will be legalized for limited medical purposes in New York under a plan that’s on Gov. Cuomo’s drawing board. The early details suggest that he wisely plans to keep a tight lid on the lids.* New York's Puzzling Medical Marijuana Plan(WSJ)* Cuomo may no longer be interested in this issue, but Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson has renewed his campaign pledge to treat possession of as much as 15 grams of marijuana as a violation instead of a misdemeanor.* Some hospitals unsure of pot plan(Capital) Hospitals site concern that marijuana remains illegal under federal law* Albany lobbyist Pat Lynch says
with the governor now moving statewide toward his medical marijuana
pilot project, efforts are underway to craft a viable New York City-only
med-mar bill – one that perhaps won’t require approval from the state
Legislature. * Assemblyman Steve Katz, who was
ticketed for marijuana possession last year, skipped the State of the
State address this week to travel to Colorado to research the marijuana
industry, Gannett Albany reports:* Assemblyman Steve Katz skipped Cuomo’s State of the State address in favor of a three-day Colorado marijuana industry research trip. * Medical marijuana advocates say that
they fear Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan for a limited program could stall
growing momentum for a broader state-sponsored program, Newsday writes: